Delta Air Lines defies challenges – Technological confusion affects results

The past five days proved to be decisive for the third quarter of Delta Air Lines and marked the difference between a clear surplus and a disappointing shortfall. CEO Ed Bastian told Yahoo Finance that 86 days went smoothly, but five days were impacted by Crowdstrike. Bastian clarified: "It was nothing attributable to our business or performance; it was inflicted upon us." Customer refunds and flight cancellations, caused by a technological disruption in the summer, led to revenue losses amounting to $380 million and reduced earnings per share by $0.45. In many sectors, including travel, healthcare, and banking, there was a standstill due to a faulty software update by Crowdstrike, which was subsequently resolved. Bastian praised his team's response and emphasized that they returned to the top of the industry in terms of reliability in the weeks following the incident. For the fourth quarter, Delta forecasts earnings per share of $1.60 to $1.85, while analysts anticipate $1.78. Bastian is optimistic: "I think it will be a strong fourth quarter. Demand looks healthy and could be one of the best fourth quarters in our history.